The elapsed time gave you the opportunity to focus on who to blame.

Mostly because you didn't have much to think about as you were practically being dragged against your own will outside the city. The tightness of the rope around your arms and legs made your limbs go numb with dread, it wasn't a pleasant feeling to have especially from how this was all avoidable. Moreover, the dusty hemp bag that was over your head made it extra difficult to breathe, even a small inhale was enough to make your throat go dry.

It was surprising that the Treasure Hoarders, out of all the factions in Teyvat, were the only ones to successfully kidnap you. Honestly, you weren't an easy target to begin with, but with all the secrets that were suddenly appearing into light they were not making things better for yourself. You could say that everything with your brother, your boss, and your planned trip back home (plus the Traveller and the trio of best friends), were your biggest weaknesses and distractions. The Treasure Hoarders were just third-party annoyances.

How long would it take for the Traveller's party to realize that I was taken...? Maybe they wouldn't even notice. That wouldn't be a surprise, you felt like they were better off without you anyway. Not only did you feel out of place, you felt like a burden. You used to be so useful, so reliable, but you left that life behind. People used to look up to you and respect you... but maybe only because you worked directly under one of the most feared Fatui Harbingers.

You repressed the urge to let out a groan of pain when you were suddenly thrown to the ground and forcefully rolled onto your stomach. Even with a cloth wrapped tightly around your mouth (they had gagged you a while back since you kept threatening them to release you), you let out harsh words at the rough treatment. Obviously, the men who threw you down didn't seem to even care.

From the fuzzy silhouettes you could make out through the hemp bag, you could just about tell that there were other people standing over where you were laying. More Treasure Hoarders you were assuming. If you weren't tied up with all these tricky knotted ropes, you would have fought your way back to freedom - even without your spray guns.

"We got that murderer's little girlfriend." That snobbish-sounding voice belonged to that jerk that smacked you right on the butt, Li Dang. "She might have gotten away with throwing the first punch but I'd like to say that she came with me without any refusal!"

The surrounding men applauded, some even let out intrigued whistles at the sight of you on the ground.

"That tip Bao'er gave us was true..." That cowardly brother, Li Ding, was stuttering after every word. "I can't believe it... We should probably hold onto this soldier until she comes... I think we should find somewhere to hide before the Fatui shows up..."

"Everything is going according to plan! Once Harbinger Scaramouche falls for the bait, we'll capture him like how we did with his secretary! He seems to really like her, it'll be like hitting two birds with one stone! Though, we still have to be cautious when we ambush him. I still remember the day he fought our strongest men and won. We'll strike him down while he's not looking."

"Mhm?!" Your words were muffled by the cloth in your mouth. Hearing them speak so carelessly about their future actions was enough to put you on edge. There were too many things that were happening at the same time: What were the Treasure Hoarders going to do with you? It didn't seem like they were ready to kill you yet. Was Lord Scaramouche actually coming?

"Shut up!"

A kick to your stomach was enough to silence you, for now. Your back folded as you felt yourself cough against the cloth gag. All you could do was let out an uncomfortable groan and let the pain linger a little longer before it ultimately subsided, this was going to be a long day.

The men began to talk over one another.

"My brother and I got the girl already... Where's Bao'er and her payments...? I want to get out of this creepy place, I've got a very bad feeling..."

"Relax, Li Ding. Don't be such a scaredy-cat! If anything, we got the upper hand over the Fatui. I doubt they would attack us since we're the only ones who have the Harbinger's secretary! Freckle Huang, what do you think we should do in the meantime? You're the leader right now!"

"Crafty had a suggestion as to how we'll bait that Fatui Harbinger," A deeper voice spoke. "Come on, share your idea."

There was the sound of rummaging, "Why don't we take a picture and release a ransom?"

There was a stir of murmurs. By now you couldn't tell who was speaking.

"Hmm... I don't know, the Fatui's bounty is already so tempting."

"But it sounds good."

"Harbinger Scaramouche won't pass up that opportunity, I'm sure of it!"

"Let's do it then!"

"Bring out the Kamera!"

"Can we just hurry up and get out of here...?"

There were more sounds of rummaging through a bag, you assumed. Some of the men egged on the other to get closer to you. Some of them were tugging back and forth for the gadget, arguing over who was going to take the photograph. There was only one man who couldn't stand being there any longer.

"Hooo, we're going to be rich beyond belief! We should share at least half the Mora with Exorcist Chongyun for keeping this Fatui soldier alive! Without his help, we wouldn't have been able to capture her."

That guy... truly hates me...

You couldn't help but press your face further into the ground, wanting to deny the stuff you were hearing. It was just unbelievable. Sure, both of you met on the worse terms but it would have been normal to at least begin to be friendly with each other.

Xingqiu and Xiangling were able to see you as one of their friends, why couldn't Chongyun see you the same way? Were you hated by him that much? He didn't even think twice about making a deal with the Treasure Hoarders? He's... as much of a traitor as you were. The irony was excruciating.

Multiple hands grabbed you by the shoulders and the back of your neck. It was hard to fight back as they positioned your body into a forbearing position, with your arms behind yourself and knees on the grassy ground. They snickered at your compliance.

All of a sudden, the bag was yanked off your head and tousled your hair into a tangled mess. At that very second, you took in your surroundings. The sky was an ugly blue. There were rocky mountains all around. A rundown house was up on a hill. About four or five men were standing over your body with their weapons at their sides.

"Say cheese!" Someone sang out in a sarcastic tone.

As you bit down harshly on the cloth in your mouth, your picture was taken with a bright flash and a whirring sound. The Kamera printed out a thin square, which was taken by one of the Treasure Hoarders who fluttered it a few times in the air. In that guy's hand was a picture that was bound to make Scaramouche snap.

The perfect bait.

You weren't given the chance to breathe as the bag was pulled down once again and you were shoved back onto the dirt. By now, you were wondering what was next. Those big, rough hands held you down, pressing harshly all over your body to keep you still. You just hoped that you weren't going to be unrecognizable after this.

"Now, you're going to pay for what happened to our members!" One man shouted in your ear, earning a discontent whimper from you. "A few nights with us will teach you to never mess around with our business!"

You forcefully shrugged a hand away when you felt it move along your ribs.

"Oh ho, she's feisty...! I like fighters."

What does that mean?

"This is going to be fun. I've never been with a Snezhnayan girl before, I'll make sure to enjoy every second of it!"

You had one nightmarish thought.

"Take her up the steps and bring her inside, we'll take turns standing outside to watch the area. Play nicely now, don't get too rough, there's still plenty of us that want a taste of her."

Someone skimmed over your waist.

"W-Wait, this wasn't a part of the plan...! I don't want to do something like that... It's not... right..."

Fingers ran up your leg.

"What, do you want to go first, Li Ding? This is the only chance you're going to get with a girl!"

There were heavy chuckles.

"Why not do it right here?"

Your ankle was grabbed.

"Right now?"

The other one was seized as well.

"No... Argh!"

Someone was forced between your legs.

"I think Li Ding needs a little bit of encouragement."

There was another rough shove to the person above you.

"Look at him, he's starting to cry!"

Weeping.

"I think he's feeling guilty!"

Laughter.

"You guys shouldn't let your guard down!"

Brutality.

The moment you felt those disgusting hands on your body, you had already blanked out. You just stared emptily at the cross stitches of the hemp bag, weaving them together with your glossy eyes.

It was a technique you taught yourself for times like this. Emergencies only. It was to save you from experiencing the worst things a woman could go through. A gap in your memory. There was nothing to remember from that point on until the men were already finished eating. All you did was lie there with no problem.

But you felt indifferent. There was no harsh grip on your waist, neck, or hair. Nothing felt pinched, tightened, or intruded. Much to your luck. Were the monsters gone? Were they erased from this world? Why did you feel left alone?

At first, you drew away frantically when a hand was placed on the side of your face, but you slowly relaxed when you heard soft shushes. The unknown man didn't have any intention to hurt you the way the others did, you could tell from how he supported your upper back to hold you upright. Carefully, he took the cloth from your mouth and right away, you felt your jaw finally relax. The bag was pulled from your head and you were now face to face with your saviour.

His gentle touch comforted you, it was such a familiar yet distant feeling. A tenderness that finally gave you a sense of safety. His blue eyes were like a calm ocean, finally, no more storms. Everything was quiet. He was kind-hearted to someone as sinful as you. There was no one else that loved you like that. If your arms weren't bound together like this, you would have reached out to the young man and called for him... Big brother-

"Secretary [Y/N]?"

Your chest tightened at the realization, "Mr. Childe...?"

"[Y/N]!" He shouted happily, throwing his arms over your shoulders. In the split second of his happy outburst, you saw his eyes sparkling brightly as if he had just found a heavy bag of Mora by chance.

Once again, the unwelcoming feeling of disappointment drowned you from the inside. You didn't even have time to process what had just happened, your thoughts were coursing like crashing waves. During this time, you were embraced and hugged so tightly you thought your lungs were going to pop out. Childe might have even planted a few welcoming kisses on your cheeks, clearly ecstatic to be the one to have found you.

You're a totally, stupid, idiot. Why would you think that your big brother Nikolai would come all the way to Snezhnaya and save you? In the middle of nowhere? Just by pure luck? It just wasn't possible. Not even in your wildest dreams. Your big brother wouldn't even be able to lift a finger to fight off those Treasure Hoarders. He wasn't here. You doubted he even wanted to be here. In this crappy nation. How could you mix up your dear older brother with someone like Childe?

The ropes wrapped around your wrists were untied. Your legs were now able to move about freely. You finally felt like you could breathe again. Childe was still over the moon. Happy. Smiling. There was a deep frown on your face. You staggered as you got up to your feet, all the while the 11th Harbinger unbounded you from the rest of your restraints.

"Why did you save me...?" You asked, trying to soothe the aching in your chest and keeping your eyes off the bloody ground.

Childe kept grinning, "I mean, if I see a girl getting kidnapped by a bunch of men in broad daylight, why wouldn't I step in? Plus, I get very nice rewards for my good deed. The gratification feels even better when the girls are beautiful! I can't tell you how many times I've saved so many gorgeous ladies and gotten sweet prizes in return!"

Without thinking, you held your head in your hands and tried your best not to let your tears fall from your eyes. As much as you tried to stare straight at the ground, it didn't help to realize that at this very moment, your life as a free person has come to an end. The chance of even meeting your mother, father, and brother was taken away from you the moment that bag was removed from your head.

Goodbye to free will. Goodbye to friends. Goodbye to love itself. What will happen now? Who will save you from eternal torment? Is there any mercy left for you? It was meant to be like this all along? That's hilarious. So terribly cruel. Oh, how the Gods hate you. If Teyvat functioned the other way, you would be the most envied girl in the world.

"But, I'm glad I found you safe and sound... Come on." Childe gave you a half, almost heartless, hug and pulled you along with him while he had an arm around your shoulders.

"What are you doing...?" You dragged your feet on the dirt, leaving behind deep marks along the surface. There was a feeling of dread that made your body almost collapse. Your lips trembled in freight the moment you realized that both of you were heading in the opposite direction of the Harbour.

Childe was suspiciously calm and collected as his tugging became more urgent, at the same time, he chuckled flatly, "I'm taking you back to our camp."

Hearing those words made your heart drop to your stomach, "Wait a second... please..."

"Come on, let's go back together." Childe had a firm grip on your arm. While you tried your best to pull back, he insisted that you should just follow his advice. "I'm not going to hurt you unless you start resisting, okay? You don't know how terribly sick Scaramouche misses you. He needs you to come back - we need you to come back."

As you held onto his wrist and gloved hand, you began to struggle out of his grasp, "No... He'll kill me... My Lord Scaramouche is going to murder me the moment he lays his eyes on me, it's true... I know he will, he said it himself..."

"That's not true. You know how he is, he won't do anything that you don't like... Stop fighting me." After a few more seconds of struggling against his advancements, Childe gave up and let you win this one.

Which was a mistake on his part.

"You shouldn't have messed around with Lumine." At the sound of you saying that girl's name, it was Childe's turn to stare down at you with mortification.

His ocean blue eyes had flickered from your face, to behind you, and then back onto your eyes. He tried to look unbothered, unphased. Even though his chest was heaving so heavily, it was like he ran a mile, "Girlie didn't want to be with me anymore. I mean nothing to her without Mora... You can imagine how much that hurt me."

"And you were the closest out of all of us to Rex Lapis' Gnosis. Because of your selfish decisions, we now have lost that opportunity, we have to start at square one, and now we're caught up in this mess...!"

"Let me tell you something," Childe lowered himself to speak with you face to face. "Girlie is going to throw you away like how she did with me. I don't want that to happen. Do you know that Scaramouche has a very expensive bounty on your head? What are you going to do if the Traveller finds out? If she was only with me for my Mora, imagine what she's doing to you."

"Two million Mora is nothing." Saying it out loud was enough to make you scoff. "She won't give me up for two million."

Childe's eyes dulled as he forced a laugh. His lips spread wide and a great chortle left his chest empty. He laughed. Loudly and freely. The first thing he did after that reaction was look at you with pity. "You think it's just two million? You're severely wrong, secretary [Y/N]. Scaramouche hit an all-time low. You should have seen how desperate he was."

You had to take in a deep breath before asking, "How much am I worth...?"

"Ten million Mora," Childe answered.

At first, you almost couldn't stand upright. Your knees buckled. Your lips dropped open. Your eyes unfocused for a moment. The world went freezing cold. The tips of your fingers tingled and your ears rang at the feeling and sound of Mora clinking together. Gold rubbing against gold. You could almost feel your arms dropping at the weight of moneybags being placed on your hands.

"She will surrender you like that." Childe saw how hard you flinched at the mere sound of him snapping a finger. "Like that. Just as quickly. Without a second thought. Like me."

You are a walking, talking, breathing ten million Mora cheque. This was your epitome of greatness. This was as beautiful as you were going to get. It's sad, isn't it? Your only attractive trait was having this expensive bounty pinned on you, money. Now, you knew how Childe felt.

A shaky sigh made you shake your head wistfully, "That's not my doing... It's not my fault."

The Harbinger countered, "Keep denying, secretary [Y/N], I'll listen to you all day. Though, I wouldn't recommend keeping Scaramouche waiting for too long - just a word of advice. We all know how angry he gets when things aren't being done immediately."

"Lumine doesn't know about the bounty..." You thought she did. Maybe she didn't hear the Cicin Mage correctly when she shouted it at the top of her lungs. Maybe Lumine didn't believe it. "Ha...! She doesn't...! I'm safe...!"

"That's too bad." The young man pursed his lips out of disappointment. "Little did she know that she had ten million Mora in her hands. I'm sure if girlie knew about the reward she would have turned you in by now."

"That's not true. She's not like that."

"Well, I guess I'm the only one who knows what she'll do for a couple of Mora."

Maybe none of this was Scaramouche's fault.

Maybe none of this was your fault.

The only person left to pin the blame on was...

Childe.

"You should have never met her." Your lips curled up into a heartbroken smile as you recalled every single horrible thing you had to go through during your journey to Liyue Harbour. You repeated once more, "You should have never met her."

"Don't talk to me like that..."

"This is all your fault, Mr. Childe. If only you'd never spoken with Lumine, I wouldn't be in this mess... This is all your fault... That's the answer. How could you do this to me...?"

"You don't understand..."